Improvement in canal-boat propulsion



I. JosEPHfHuLfQERD. Improv-ement `in Canal-Boat Propulsion'.

Patented May 14, i872.

NTTED STATES l I. JOSEPH HILGERD, OF NEW YORK,N. Y.

lrwrnovlalvnnrr IN CANAL-BoAr PRoPuLsloN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 126,701, dated May 14,1872.

JOSEPH HILGERD, of the city, county, and

State of New York.

Figure l is a top view of a cana-l-boat illus `trating my invention,part being broken away4 to show the construction. Fig. 2 is a side view`of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section of the same taken throughthrough the line x w, Fig. 1. Fig. 4-is a detail cross-section of thesame taken through the line y y, Fig. l. Fig.v

5 is a detail view of one of the wheels.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to improve the construction ofcanaLboats, so as to enable them to Vbe propelled through the water withgreater velocity and without injury to the banks; and it consists -inthe construction and combination of various parts of the boat, ashereinafter more fully d escribed.

A are two wheels, made in the form of frustums of cones, placed apex toapex, and attached to the same shaft B to which the power is applied.The wheels A are made air and water tight, and have paddles or bladesslightly inclined or spiral, attached to their conical surfaces, asshown in" Figs. 1, 3, and 5. The walls of the forward part of the boatat the sides of the wheels A are made double, and air and watertight,'to serve as floats to buoy up the bow of the`boat. The boat C ismade with two keels, D, one upon each side of its bottom, as shown inFig. 4. The keels D are made air and water tight, to serve as buoys toassist in iioatin g the boat. The keels D also form a channel orwater-course along the center of the boats bottom to receive the water Yfrom the wheels A to prevent the banks from being washed by the swellfrom the wheels.

The two keels D also preventl the boat from shaking in its movements. Eare the rudders, two of which are used-one at the rear end of each keelD. The rudders E are madev triangular inform to prevent them fromstirring up the sand or mud in the bottom of the canal in shallow water,and are connected by a cross bar, F, to the center of which the tiller Gis pivoted. The tiller G is pivoted to the tillergost H at the center ofthe rear part of the oat.

`By this construction the boat will draw less water while carrying aheavier load than boats constructed in the ordinary manner, and at thesame time the wheels A will cut-down the water in front of the boat andforce it inward and rearward through the channel in the bottom of theboat, so that it may lose its force before being discharged at the sternof the boat, and thus prevent the formation of a V swell which mightinjure the banks, thus enabling the boat to be propelled faster thanordinary boats can be.

Hav in g thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The two conical wheels A, made air andwater tight, with sliding spiral buckets, and

attached to the same shaft, substantially as herein shown and described,and for the purn pose set forth.

2. The two side keels D, in combination with u the hull C of the boatand with the two conical wheels A, substantially as herein shown anddescribed, and for the purposes set forth.

l. JOSEPH HILGERD.

Witnesses Guns. (Jonson, TnoMAs GARTWRIGHT.

